A landscaping crew leader drives the truck, runs a small crew through a day of weekly yards or a landscape install, and does the work alongside them. They set the order of stops, check each property before the crew pulls away, and handle the homeowner who walks out with a question.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Responsible for guiding and directing landscaping tasks while ensuring high-quality service delivery and excellent on-site workflow management. Plays a key role in mentoring crew members and driving efficient project execution, contributing to overall company success.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee daily landscaping operations and ensure tasks are completed according to plan and quality standards.
Mentor and lead crew members, providing training, feedback, and support for professional development.
Ensure compliance with safety protocols and maintain a clean, organized work environment.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and assign daily tasks to crew members, ensuring clear communication of expectations.
Conduct on-site inspections to monitor progress, quality, and adherence to safety guidelines.
Engage directly with customers to address concerns, gather feedback, and ensure satisfaction.
Coordinate with suppliers and vendors to ensure timely delivery of materials and equipment.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Task Completion Rate: 95% of scheduled tasks completed on time.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
Safety Compliance: 100% adherence to safety protocols each month.
Productivity Efficiency: Achieve a minimum capacity efficiency of 90%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; technical training in landscaping preferred.
3+ years of experience in landscaping or related field with a proven leadership track record.
Strong communication, problem-solving, and time management skills.
Proficiency in using basic landscaping tools and equipment.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience as a landscaping crew leader or supervisor in the home services industry.
Familiarity with local regulations and industry best practices in landscaping and outdoor maintenance.
Experience in customer-facing roles with a focus on maintaining high service standards.
Background in operational workflow management and team mentoring in outdoor environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work outdoors in varying weather conditions including heat and cold.
Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
Endurance to perform repetitive physical tasks throughout extended workdays.
Capable of standing, bending, and operating landscaping equipment for prolonged periods.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional early mornings, evenings, or weekend work may be required based on project needs.
Minimum travel required between job sites within the designated region.
On-call duties may be expected during peak project times.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $20 - $25 per hour based on experience and qualifications.
Performance bonuses based on team productivity and project success.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance provided.
401k plan with company match as available.
Additional benefits may include paid time off and ongoing training opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is dedicated to fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented environment where every team member is valued.
We empower our employees to take initiative, pursue professional development, and contribute to our mission of delivering exceptional home landscaping services.
We celebrate innovation, teamwork, and excellence in service, ensuring that our employees are supported every step of the way.
Join us to be part of a dynamic team committed to quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
A lead in many trades works one job at a time. A residential landscape crew leader often runs a route instead: yard after yard on a mowing day, each with its own gate, pets and homeowner.
Keeping a route on schedule
Each weekly stop has a set amount of time on the schedule. The crew leader splits the work so mowing, trimming, edging and blowing finish together, then walks the yard before leaving. When a stop runs long, they decide what can wait and call the office, so the last homeowner of the day isn't left wondering where the crew is.
The heat plan is theirs to run
California's heat rule names landscaping as a high-heat industry. At 95 degrees or more, employers there must keep watch on workers, for example with a buddy system, and hold a short meeting on heat steps before the shift. A worker newly assigned to a high-heat area must be closely watched for their first 14 days. The rule lets a supervisor or a designee do that watching, and on a crew that's usually the crew leader. Source: Cal/OSHA: Heat illness prevention, Title 8 section 3395.
Teaching the spring hires
BLS says most grounds maintenance workers need a month or less of on-the-job training. The crew leader does most of that teaching: running a trimmer without scalping the lawn, where clippings go, how to blow off a walk without spraying a car. Each spring brings new faces, so a good crew leader can show a skill, watch it done, and correct it the same day. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Grounds maintenance workers.
Loading out and keeping machines running
The day starts in the yard: fuel, sharp blades, mowers strapped down on the trailer and the ramp gate latched. A mower that quits at an early stop can wreck the rest of the route. Good crew leaders check the truck and machines each morning, report damage the same day, and know which repairs can wait for the shop.
The homeowner talks to them
Homeowners walk out with requests: move a bed, skip the back yard this week, look at a sick shrub. The crew leader does what the service agreement covers, writes down the rest for the office or a sales rep, and doesn't quote prices unless you allow it. They also hear the first complaint, so calm, clear answers matter.
Residential vs. commercial landscaping crew leader
Both lead a crew and do the work with them. The customer, the site and the standard for good work change.
Topic
Residential
Commercial
Typical day
Many small yards on a weekly route
A few large sites, sometimes one all day
Who they deal with
Homeowners, who are often home when the crew arrives
HOA boards, property managers and on-site staff
What sets the standard
Your checklist and what the homeowner expects
Written specs in the maintenance contract
Equipment
Mowers that fit through a backyard gate
Wide-deck riding mowers and more machines per crew
Access details
Gate codes, pets and toys left in the yard
Site hours, parking lots and tenant traffic
How much landscaping crew leaders make
The closest BLS group for landscaping crew leaders is landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $19.49 an hour ($40,530 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s above the $39,150 median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers in all industries. About 573,760 of the 952,640 landscaping and groundskeeping workers in that survey work for landscaping companies.
The template sets an hourly rate a step up from the crew's, with a bonus for team results. Some companies tie that bonus to beating the route's budgeted hours or to clean safety spot checks. Under BLS coding rules, a crew leader who still mows and plants alongside the crew is counted with landscaping workers, not supervisors, so the figures here include laborers. Plan to pay above the middle of that range.
Landscaping companies
$40,530$40,530 median Middle half $36,860–$46,840 10th–90th $34,660–$56,290
All industries
$39,150$39,150 median Middle half $36,190–$46,830 10th–90th $31,150–$56,730
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping companies
$34,660
$36,860
$40,530
$46,840
$56,290
All industries
$31,150
$36,190
$39,150
$46,830
$56,730
BLS reports residential and commercial landscaping companies together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Has run mowers, trimmers and blowers well enough to teach them
Gives clear directions and fixes mistakes on the spot, calmly
Keeps a crew moving so the route finishes on time
Drives and backs a truck and trailer safely
Talks with homeowners politely and knows when to hand off to the office
Spots plant, irrigation or property damage and reports it
Teach these on the job
Logging stops and time in your route app
Your quality checklist for each kind of visit
Leading your tailgate safety talks and heat plan
Your rules on extra work and what crews may promise
Daily care routines for your trucks and equipment
Crew leaders run a truck and trailer loaded with zero-turn and walk-behind mowers, trimmers, edgers, hedge clippers and backpack blowers, and often a phone app from Jobber, Service Autopilot, Aspire or a similar system to see the day's stops and log time. In the ad, say how big the crew is, whether the work is mowing, landscape installs or both, and whether the truck stays with them overnight.
Landscaping crew leader interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Begin with the template's numbers and tune them after a few months of route data. Measure the whole crew, since the crew leader owns its results.
Task Completion Rate
Stops and tasks the crew completed on their scheduled day, divided by everything on its route sheets, pulled weekly from your scheduling software. Note rain-outs separately.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Review and survey scores from the crew's properties, plus complaints logged by the office, tracked monthly. Read the notes for missed areas, open gates and damage.
Safety Compliance
Weekly checks that the crew wore eye and ear protection, took heat breaks and secured the trailer, plus any incidents. Spot checks by the field supervisor keep the score honest.
Productivity Efficiency
Hours the schedule budgeted for the crew's work, divided by the hours the crew actually logged, from your time and job records. Look at it by week and by type of work.
Career path
Laborer / helperLoads the trailer, rakes and learns each machine.
They run one crew for the day. That means loading the truck, driving the route, giving out tasks at each stop, doing a share of the mowing, trimming or planting, and checking the work before leaving. They also log the crew's time, report damage or problems, and answer homeowners' questions within the limits you set.
How much does a landscaping crew leader make?
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $19.49 an hour ($40,530 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $36,860 and $46,840 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What is the difference between a crew leader and a field supervisor?
A crew leader stays with one crew all day and works beside them. A field supervisor moves between many crews, checking quality and safety, sorting out what a crew can't fix on its own, and coaching crew leaders. Promoting your best crew leaders is a common way to fill field supervisor jobs.
Does a landscaping crew leader need a CDL?
Only for heavier rigs. Under federal rules, a commercial driver's license is needed for any single truck with a gross weight rating over 26,000 pounds, or for a truck and trailer rated that high together when the trailer's own rating tops 10,000 pounds. Check the weight rating plates on each truck and trailer, since a dump truck or a big equipment trailer can cross the line. State rules can differ, so look those up as well.
Is a landscaping crew leader owed overtime?
Usually, yes. Federal rules say overtime exemptions don't apply to manual or blue collar workers, no matter how much they're paid, and a crew leader who mows, trims and plants most of the day does that kind of work. The template already pays by the hour. If you ever move a crew leader to a salary, check the duties rules first.
Should I promote my best landscaper to crew leader?
Only if they want to lead. The best crew leaders are steady, organized and patient with new people, not just the fastest on a mower. Try them as acting crew leader for a few weeks in a slower month, with a clear checklist, and ask the crew how it went before you make it permanent.
